Hello, my readers! It's been some time since the last upload and that's mostly because this is my last year of University and all the work it entails.
I say "mostly" because the other reason is that...I'm getting burned out by this story. It's been some years, there are already other projects I want to start and I'm even working on new ones as I'm writing (and that's not even counting my original works).
Just so you know, in the first half of next year there most likely won't be new publications due to the aforementioned reasons, but I'll also implement a new writing schedule that will allow me to work on multiple projects at once (you have more chapters of different stories to read and won't get bored writing for the same story for the rest of the year).
With that said, enjoy the chapter!
It was almost the start of evening near the coast of Z City and despite the tension among the crews of the many warships, entirely due to the great battle fought in the mainland, the admiral known as Nagash was feeling rather calm. Inside the battleship Fire Bearer, the young petite woman sat at her command chair in a relaxed position as she lazily received reports from the four fleets stationed at different locations throughout Z City's coastline.
'I thought this would've been much harder, but we've barely seen any monsters since the start of the Raid. Those heroes really can be trusted after all!' Nagash thought as her posture became more relaxed as all the reports were filed, and all that remained were menial tasks she could very well do later.
At first she didn't believe in the Hero Association's capabilities in the slightest, what with all of her acquaintances and friends distrusting it due to the strange business going on with the received donations and seeing firsthand its lackluster response towards the continent-wide attack from the Monster Association.
The rumors about the government choosing to cut the military's budget to invest in the Hero Association made her dislike for them peak, but with Nagasaki at the lead of the association and how well the Raid was going Nagash felt her dislike for the heroes drastically diminish.
'After all, if the president himself is at the helm of a project, then it is bound to go well regardless of any situation' Nagash thought, but suddenly a loud ping on the sonar snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Situation, NOW!" Nagash bellowed as the personnel in the room snapped into action, her anxiety slowly creeping in once more. One of her men were able to trace the signal right at its source, and he was very confused by his own discovery.
As Nagash radioed all stationed fleets about her discovery, he turned to her and said "The origin of the signal has been located and the object in question is about a kilometer below the center of our formation...it also appears to be organical in nature, but it's size is very diminutive, barely larger than a human"
Nagash let out a sigh of relief at the information, glad that whatever had escaped from the Monster Association's HQ could be easily dealt with. But before she could respond, another ping of the sonar alerted the man in question who turned his back from the admiral in order to check any new information.
After less of a minute he turned to the admiral, his face much paler than before as he slowly said, seemingly unable to even believe himself "Admiral, the monster is quickly rising to sea level and it's size is increasing dramatically, right now it's about larger than our own vessel"
This sent the entire room in a panic as Nagash immediately accessed comms to inform her fleet of this turn of events and the course of actions to take.
"All ships, this is admiral Nagash speaking, a monster of high threat level is about to surface at the center of our formation. Your order are to break formation and create as much distance as possible and prepare all sorts of weapons on board, even personnel firearms if necessary!" Nagash shouted at the comms device and prepared herself to radio the rest of the fleets about the new incoming foe, but a rumbling sound of waves outside caught her attention. As she turned her head to look outside, just like the rest of the room's occupants, her breath was caught in her throat and her eyes were unable to look away.
A gigantic mass of water was rising from the center of the formation as its two gigantic eyeballs slowly looked at the ten surrounding ships. Their carrier, named Majestic, was too slow to move out of the monster's path and was in the process of gobbling up the large vessel into its burgeoning mass, only one of her planes able to safely take off as the rest either fell into the ocean or faced the same fate as Majestic.
It was at this moment that Nagash noted with no small amount of horror that the ships weren't able to break formation fast enough. That, or the monster in question was surprisingly fast in movement.
Fortunately, throughout the entire fleet, her order didn't need to be voiced for everyone to unconsciously follow it.
At once all warships opened fire with all they had.
The three destroyers opened fire with their guns and unleashed every single torpedo they had, while the two cruisers launched salvo after salvo of shells from their larger cannons along with a flurry of guided missiles. Then there was Fire Bearer, the closest to the monster, which let her massive cannons roar as huge shells were fired in a hail of sulphur and fire.
The barrage from Fire Bearer alone was capable of destroying several city blocks, nevermind the onslaught of attacks launched by the rest of the fleet.
However, to the horror of the various crews, what actually happened was much worse.
All of the ammunition and ordinances launched at the monster were simply absorbed into its watery body, and if its vacant stare was anything to go by it didn't even notice their attacks that much.
But now that it distinctively felt foreign matter into its system, Evil Natural Water certainly noticed the surrounding warships and their occupants, their bloodlust and fear ramping up by the second.
So the Cadre willed its gigantic mass to race below the ships and spring up hundreds of pressurized water spikes, one for each crewmate. As the deadly onslaught of attacks pierced flesh and steel alike, Evil Natural Water could feel the bloodlust of the crewmates vanishing like mist before sunlight, every living thing on the warships either already dead or about to die. Whether it was due to blood loss or sheer was up for debate.
As the steel vessels and their deceased occupants sank into the ocean, Evil Natural Water found itself without stimuli and decided to acquaint itself with its newfound mass in preparation for the real fight against that one young human from before.
But after a minute of the Cadre looking like it was making its body slowly jiggle, it felt something approaching from the west. To its surprise however, it didn't sense it through the electromagnetic signals of nervous systems or the movement of the ocean...
...but only through the vibrations in the air.
Curiosity overtaking, Evil Natural Water moved into the direction of the newcomer. At first it looked like a clumsy, shambling horror but as time passed and the Cadre got more acquainted with its new body, it elegantly flowed through the ocean as crashing waves were incorporated into its mass and water currents were briefly rewritten by its mere act of passing through.
Once it arrived within viewing distance of the newcomer, Evil Natural Water was unable to truly process with its limited experiences what was in front of it, suspended above the sea by an unseen force.
It was none other than the Heroic Spear herself, an experimental airship created by using a mix between already existing human technology, what could be salvaged from that Dark Matter Thieves spaceship and experimental technology that has been developed for over a decade by the brightest mind under Nagasaki's command, Bofoi.
The vessel, which didn't look too large before the massive size of Evil Natural Water, was actually over 500m long with a hull being similar to a human ship and was equipped with four rows of guns, two on the ship's deck and two on the ship's sides. While there were various main cannons, the Heroic Spear was mostly armed with advanced anti-air guns and silos with many types of guided missiles, mostly around the superstructure.
But while Evil Natural Water was unable to properly get an idea of what was in front of itself due to the Heroic Spear's complete reliance on AI, the shifting of her armaments and whirring sounds from within her hull were more than enough to alert the Cadre about the entity's hostile intentions. Before actually creating tentacles or water streams, Evil Natural Water propelled most of the physical ammunition stored in its body in order to gauge the opponent's abilities.
It was at that moment that the Heroic Spear's main cannons roared as they fired special shells which began slightly angling towards the incoming attacks. Despite the speed of the incoming attacks, the airship's counter managed to succeed as the burst-guided ammunition collided with other shells, torpedoes and even some missiles, detonating in a spectacular fashion and even managing to take out nearby enemy ammo through the shrapnel contained in them.
The fiery orange light of the explosion was immediately followed by a huge wall of smoke, which was immediately torn apart by Evil Natural Water's next offense. Having learned of the Heroic Spear's approach against incoming attacks, the Cadre decided to fire off four powerful highly pressurized streams of water, thinking that its opponent was unable to block such types of attacks.
The Cadre was however proven wrong as the whirring within the Heroic Spear became stronger and a visible pulse of energy rang out from the superstructure and a blindingly bright wall instantaneously stopped all four water streams in their tracks.
As the attacks were blown away by the wave of energy, Evil Natural Water was not only dumbfounded, but also beginning to worry about what other abilities its enigmatic opponent may be hiding. And it was right in feeling so as a wave of guided missiles rose from the silos and raced to the living mass.
In response Evil Natural Water raised water pillars around itself, fired high-speed water bubbles detached from its body and even threw the rest of its missiles along with the remaining debris of the Majestic, all in the eventuality that direct contact with them would prove dangerous. The missiles were advanced in nature as they managed to dodge the incoming obstructions, and although nearly half of them were shot down by the Cadre's desperate defense, the rest found their mark.
Strangely enough for Evil Natural Water, the missiles did not explode...however their real purpose was soon made clear as they released powerful electric shocks that ravaged the Cadre's body. Though it wasn't nearly enough to kill it, the missiles managed to immobilize it long enough for the Heroic Spear to unleash its true power.
All made possible by one extremely important component, without which the ship couldn't even be built.
See, as Metal Knight began dismantling the alien ship that ravaged A City, under the watchful eye of Nagasaki, he found the remains of a large orb-like object that generated an insane amount of energy, more than any other type of generator created by humans. He theorized that it allowed the ship to stay afloat by being connected to thrusters of alien origin that were capable of converting energy in gravitational force (later retrieved as well).
While the alien thrusters were in very good condition and surprisingly simple in design, the large shattered sphere was another matter entirely and, due to its mysterious nature, was much harder to utilize. But the genius of Metal Knight seemingly didn't know limits and was able to integrate its pieces with other advanced human technologies.
The most notable being the following.
As the whirring within the Heroic Spear became even louder, the ship's front horizontally split in half as a large long-barreled gun was revealed.
The two metal sides were slightly trembling due to the sheer amount of energy contained within them, and occasionally small arcs of lightning could be seen snaking around the barrel. At the weapon's front a large lense let out a blinding amount of light as its surface got hotter by the second. On the weapon's sides various tanks delivered much-needed coolant to the critical components, making sure overheating wouldn't be a problem. Lastly, behind the gun and unable to be seen due to several layers of reinforced steel, the largest pieces of the Vessel Core glowed with an ominous fuchsia light as their energy powered the Heroic Spear's many systems, with support from other generators of human origin.
The most important part that they powered was none other than the Righteous Flash.
After the main weapon's reveal, only five seconds passed as the massive gun fired and a massive beam of searing light was let out of the lens, which were quickly wearing themselves out.
The Heroic Spear shook due to the Righteous Flash's firing, but it didn't have much trouble in restabilizing itself.
Evil Natural Water, still reeling from the shocks those missiles inflicted it, was unable to register anything as the beam of light went through its massive body like a hot knife through butter, vaporizing it in a split second.
The beam's power was enough to part the sea below it, creating large waves and disturbing a certain sea monster's travels in the process.
Just as quickly as it came, the particles of light dispersed and the sea calmed down once more as nothing was left of the Cadre, as if it was never there to begin with.
The Heroic Spear silently hummed as its systems went to operate as normal and, with its objective fulfilled, returned back to its hangar.
X X X
Back in the nuclear bunker, saying that Nagasaki was ecstatic would be an understatement as the man in question got off his seat as he bounced around the dimly lit room in exultation at the eradication of Evil Natural Water.
"Yes, it works! It works!" the president repeated for about a few minutes, then somewhat calmed down and exclaimed "I still can't believe the Heroic Spear truly works! Oh, with this marvelous weapon at our disposal Dragon level threat monsters don't look as dangerous anymore! Bofoi sure knows his way around technology!"
"Was there ever a doubt about my abilities, president? Such a notion displeases me very much" an old-sounding voice spoke from seemingly nowhere and despite the slightly jovial tone of it, Nagasaki went still upon hearing for a few seconds.
"Metal Knight? I didn't expect you to contact me so early. How is the rest of the operation going?" the president spoke in a calm tone, returning to sit down on his chair and covered his face to hide his reddening embarrassment. This action was futile.
"Waganma has been safely escorted to the surface and the heroes have returned into the underground in order to finish off the remaining monsters" Metal Knight dutifully informed Nagasaki.
The president shrugged as he said in a gruff tone "Good, make sure your robots roam around the Monster Association's HQ. I don't want to deal with any escapees and for now I don't care about the Organization"
"That is quite the brazen thought now Mr. President, have you forgotten about the many deaths they have and still continue to cause? Underestimating them is a grave error" Metal Knight said with a serious tone, but Nagasaki didn't seem willing to back down from his position.
"I still remember all the damage these infernal machines caused over the years...and the blame we bear for it too...but that doesn't mean that we have to not deal with other rising threats. The Monster Association was a formidable one at that, just look at what it managed to do while we weren't looking. I had to secretly purge entire sections of the government because of their meddling and I still have no clear idea of who was actually pulling the strings!" he said in a fit of rage.
"...I understand, which is why I ultimately agreed to have some of my old models participate, however I want you to understand that I originally intended not to participate in the raid because I have a suspicion that the Organization has already infiltrated the Monster Association" Metal Knight's reply was met with a somewhat stunned silence, prompting him to continue "I sent a few of my standard models after their minions to test this theory, and after the wrecks were captured several upcoming errors in their systems indeed it. They were being tampered, possibly to learn of their weaknesses or predict evolutions in design or even to take control of them"
Nagasaki was stunned by the revelation as he hadn't thought of such an outcome and, at a loss of what to say, he simply quietly said "...I see, then I believe you already thought out our next moves going forward..."
"Yes, and I can safely say that we will take on a more active role moving forward. However I would also like to know what are you planning for the future of the Hero Association" Metal Knight announced, to which Nagasaki replied "That is nice to hear and, as for your query, we shall discuss them immediately after the raid on the Monster Association is fully complete"
With that the S class hero was seemingly satisfied and closed the comms channel while the president returned to sit on his chair, absentmindedly looking at the various monitors in front of him.
X X X
Powerful gunshots and slashes rang out in the deep, dimly lit halls of the Monster Association's HQ as the S class hero Zombieman ducked and weaved around the roaring chainsaws of two hulking robots, firing gunshots at their glowing face sockets in order to stun them and finish them off. Nearby Child Emperor was in a similar situation, trading blows with other two hulking robots and sneaking attacks on their backs when his parries caused them to lose balance.
These metal abominations were none other than former robots of Metal Knight, sent to the Monster Association's HQ and defeated by the Cadres. But instead of being destroyed like all other intruders, Gyoro Gyoro ordered them to be analyzed and repurposed by whatever technician the monsters could get their appendages on, their assistance offered willingly or (more often than not) unwillingly.
While the operations did bring these four robots under the monsters' control, they also made them less maneuverable and, most importantly, unintentionally exposed their greatest weakness.
As shown right now by Zombieman as a flurry of shots from his powerful pistols stunned one of the monstrous robots long enough for him to get on its back and hack it with his modified axe, ripping it off. The immortal hero then tore apart the battery in the back, causing the monstrous robot to convulse and then drop dead.
The resounding clang its body produced by hitting the floor alerted the two repurposed robots that were fighting Child Emperor, giving him the opportunity to use the sharp robotic legs protruding from his backpack in order to quickly eliminate the monstrous robots through quick skittering and stabbing.
The remaining robot was no match for the two S class heroes as Zombieman grabbed its attention and Child Emperor finished it off through precise and furious stabs. As it fell on the ground and all was silent once more, the young hero was angry.
'Metal Knight, how could you allow your own robots to fall in the hands of the Monster Association!? Do you realize the amount of destruction they could cause if left to roam on the surface?' Child Emperor thought as he cursed the much older genius of the Hero Association, but he was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand gently placed on his shoulder.
"Are you alright? You've been on edge for some time" Zombieman said with some concern, to which Child Emperor replied "Yeah, I'm just...rethinking my employment under Metal Knight"
This caught the immortal's attention and so, after quickly making sure that they were truly alone, without anyone to ambush them or eavesdrop on their conversation, Zombieman decided to press the younger hero for details.
"I'm just...speechless that this happened in the first place. Why didn't Metal Knight placed contingencies in order to prevent his robots from falling into enemy hands? I do it all the time in my inventions!" Child Emperor exclaimed as he gestured to the ruined wrecks around them "And what is the connection between him and Nagasaki? How did the president manage to convince that old man to actually send help? What does he know about Metal Knight's operations around the world? It's like no one tells me anything!"
Zombieman nodded as he said "Yes, it is strange that Nagasaki was able to pressure Metal Knight in participating in the raid, but the fact they are connected at all isn't that surprising. He does have a tendency to try to control unknown variables, after all"
"Yeah" Child Emperor nodded and then looked at Zombieman in a serious manner as he said "After the raid is concluded, I think it's right that we launch an investigation around the world to find out all kinds of secrets, like powerful roaming monsters or hidden organizations with ill intent. What's certain is that my current equipment is far from adequate in such a task"
"Given the sudden appearance of the Monster Association and the discovery of so many Dragon level threat monsters, that's a good idea, Child Emperor" Zombieman said as he mused "And I think I have in mind a place where we can start from"
At hearing that, the younger hero immediately questioned him about, to which he replied "I do need to talk to my informant for confirmation...besides this isn't the right place to talk about it" while gesturing to the wrecks around him.
Child Emperor nodded at that and the two heroes promptly resumed their trek into the depths of the underground complex.
X X X
While to Darkshine the patrol around the Monster Association HQ was uneventful, Gaia couldn't say the same thing.
The two were in fact attacked by many hordes of monsters, some randomly roaming the many halls, but others seemingly seeking them out. Though they were all easily wiped out by the S class hero Gaia was shaken both by the monsters' tenacity and Darkshine's immense strength, leaving naught but red clouds where their attackers used to exist.
'I wonder if some of them have been sent by Homeless Emperor...' Gaia thought as she scanned the surrounding area in case any monsters tried to ambush them, but then she shook her head as she thought 'No, while Homeless Emperor seems like the type to delegate tasks to his underlings...however, when I am involved in whatever situation, he seems to suddenly make it a personal matter'
The little monster was overall confused about the situation. Why did the Monster Association really kidnap her? Were they really in that desperate need of a healer? And why is Homeless Emperor so interested in her?
As these questions kept plaguing Gaia, Darkshine was at a loss of what to do regarding the small monster.
While the Hero Association made it its mission to eradicate all monsters from the face of the Earth, some were captured in order to be studied for whatever reason. It could be to get a better understanding of their biology or to turn their body parts into something useful for humanity...or even to sell them over the black market.
Darkshine normally didn't care about the fates of captured monsters, but Gaia was a different story. He couldn't feel any bloodlust coming from the little creature and he was surprisingly good at noticing such things, despite what those who knew him thought.
'I definitely can't let Gaia fall in the hands of the Hero Association, and I can't even let the other heroes know about her, so what can I do?' Darkshine thought as he walked a particularly long hallway at a faster pace, then he had an idea.
'I can just let her go! If Gaia was capable of surviving alone in hostile environments as an infant, then she'll have no problem making it out of the Monster Association's ruins!' Darkshine thought triumphantly as he reached the end of the hallway.
From there, the patrol was largely uneventful as the number of monsters they encountered shrunk considerably. It was at this point that Darkshine prepared himself to leave her and go about his business...whatever it was going to be.
But it was at that moment when things took a turn for the unexpected.
The two heard a series of crashes in quick succession, immediately followed by the wall at the end of the corridor exploding in a shower of dust and debris as a figure was flung towards them. He crashed into the stony floor, creating a small trench in the process as he rolled, and came at a stop right in front of Darkshine.
"Puri Puri Prisoner? What happened to you!?" the S class hero asked with no small amount of incredulity as he identified the naked man in front of him and Gaia hid behind his back for fear of the newcomer being hostile. "These shiny, muscular legs...is that you, Darky?" Puri Puri Prisoner said weakly as he struggled to open his eyes, his body squirming as the S class hero tried to will it to move.
However he tried to be as quick as possible to explain the situation "I was diving around the Monster Association HQ as I tried to find the Dragon level monster Nyan, when I suddenly crashed into some kind of torture room. I then found Garou bound in chains and from his body's state...I think he has become a true monster. I went closer to better examine him, but my curiosity must have caused him to awaken. Be careful Darky, even though I am the weakest S class Garou still managed to defeat me in one punch"
Darkshine was silent upon hearing this and his muscular body tensed in anticipation. While Gaia thought that the S class hero was worried about the fight, he felt the exact opposite about it.
'Finally, an opponent against which I can go all out!' Darkshine thought as he began making his way into the gaping hole in the far wall. It was at that moment Gaia jumped down from the S class hero's muscular back, landing with a soft thud.
Puri Puri Prisoner barely noticed the sound, but he more clearly felt a pair of small fluffy paws softly touching his side. Gaia began analyzing the S class hero's condition and grimaced at the gravity of the injuries and the feelings of pain that human must be going through.
'I don't know if this is the right thing...but I have to help him anyway!' the small monster thought with equal feelings of worry and bravery as she began channeling green energy through Puri Puri Prisoner's injured body.
'What...is this?' he thought as he felt his injuries healing themselves at a staggeringly quick rate and marveled at the green energy that seemed to course throughout his body. However Gaia felt the opposite way as her body ached more and more and her strength waned.
Eventually she was unable to keep the stream going and collapsed on the stony floor as the small monster fought to remain conscious, but on the bright side Puri Puri Prisoner stood as his body was fully healed and his strength seemingly replenished.
"Is this one of the new manifestations of my love?" he wondered aloud, thinking back to all the new abilities and skills he gained these past days. But such notions were dispelled as soon as he looked downward and saw the semi-conscious body of Gaia.
"So you must be my benefactor. It's nice to see that there are angels like you even in these depths of depravity" Puri Puri Prisoner said in a soft tone as he picked up Gaia as delicately as possible to better examine her, when he suddenly heard powerful rumbling coming from the end of the corridor, a sure sign that Darkshine and Garou began their fight. As cracks began to form around the floor, ceiling and walls it became clear to the S class hero that this place was too dangerous for the small monster.
He first considered taking her with him, but this plan had many complications from the method of travel (he still didn't fully master stone diving) to the reactions of other heroes. Discarding that idea, Puri Puri Prisoner decided to simply leave her in a safe place until she woke up again, so he ran away from the fighting and eventually found an intact wall with only a small hole.
The S class hero gently put the small monster inside, who fit inside surprisingly well, and ran into the distance as he searched for an appropriate place to stone dive.
X X X
Shinko, Mizuki and Flake Mage meanwhile continued their's travel towards Orochi, eliminating whatever monsters they found on the way. Due to Mizuki's condition, the fluffy hero decided to fight more seriously than normal, dispatching entire squads of monsters in a second with cold and brutal efficiency.
'With Mizuki injured I can't afford to waste even a single second against any opponents here...' Shinko's eyes narrowed as he thought about his main target '...especially Orochi'
Eventually, after more running and fighting, the trio arrived at two opposing walls filled with what seemed to be devastated rooms of various nature, from simple bedroom to butcher shops to even infirmaries and armories. These immense constructs were separated by a large chasm, its depth hard to discern for Shinko's eyesight.
"I think we're getting closer to Orochi's lair!" Flake Mage said in trepidation "All we need to do now is jump down and-" but he was interrupted by a loud rumbling as both structures were shaken vigorously. Some debris fell towards the trio, but unexpectedly it was Mizuki that acted.
With a single fluid motion she backflipped off Shinko's arms and shattered an incoming boulder as her leg muscles flexed and consequently shattered her ice cast.
"Don't worry about me, focus on the big one!" Mizuki said as she flashed a thumbs up to an amazed Shinko and a bewildered Flake Mage.
Then the young hero turned to the figure covering him in a large shadow and sweatdropped at the scene. It was a monstrosity the likes of which he had never seen, barely humanoid in appearance as its body was a jigsaw puzzle of flesh, chitin, bone, teeth, eyes and fire...along with swirling dragon heads coming from its back.
'So THIS is Orochi...' Shinko thought as he steeled his determination. He had to kill this monster as quickly as possible or very bad things would definitely happen.
The monstrosity acted first as it sent forth a dozen tendrils from its left arm, all tipped with monster heads possessing sharp teeth and powerful claws. Shikoku was bewildered that Orochi possessed such a level of mutation, even though he had read his file a few times.
This only reinforced his determination as he quickly splattered the freakish tendrils and dealt a powerful flurry of blows at Orochi's body.
The attacks causing a torrent of gore and bone dust, showering the surroundings, as the monster's body was ruthlessly ravaged. The buildings behind were either destroyed outright or heavily damaged as the draconic tendrils lost strength, causing Orochi's massive body to fall down into the dark abyss.
Mizuki wasn't surprised in the slightest at the fight's outcome, but Flake Mage was absolutely bewildered as he saw the leader of the Monster Association getting killed so easily. Meanwhile Shinko was looking into the abyss with a deep frown.
"I don't think he's dead just yet. That Orochi is the strangest monster I have ever seen, so we can't rule out the possibility of him having some kind of regeneration or resurrection ability" he said as he turned to his two companions "I'm going to jump in and see how his body is faring"
"Don't worry about us. No monster is going to best me!" Mizuki boasted as Flake Mage was still incredulous at her quick recovery. 'Man, humans are something else...' the small monster thought as he reminisced at everything that happened so far.
Shinko smiled at her and jumped into the unknown.
The fall itself was uneventful yet gave the fluffy hero an idea of how deep the chasm truly went. Shinko eventually landed on a surprisingly polished stone slab and looked around. He was very deep underground judging by the oppressive darkness and the huge natural lava lake, but the most interesting thing about this place was the fact that it was, at one point anyway, inhabited.
The cracked floor tiles, what appeared to be collapsed buildings and especially the drawings on the rocks gave the idea much credibility.
"I wonder who even lived here all that time ago...humans? Seems unlikely given what is on top of here. Monsters? I don't know, they don't seem to be able to create architecture this complex...but then who?" Shinko wondered aloud as he walked around the site, taking in the ancient sights and he searched for the body of Orochi. Eventually he stumbled upon the main lava lake, which occupied nearly half of the cave, but the most peculiar thing was a set of chiseled stairs in front of it, leading to what looked like an altar and a peculiar mural. It showed five people in a kneeling position offering food and drinks to a shrimp-like monster, whose head showed a creeping similarity to Orochi's.
"...Yeah, I should definitely take photos of this place. Child Emperor may be interested by all of this, not to mention him being able to explain it to me" Shinko said as he quickly took out the communicator and started fiddling with it.
After activating the flashlight function several times and accidentally calling the other heroes (luckily that function wasn't working at this depth), Shinko finally figured out how to activate the camera function.
And so he began making photos of everything he thought was important, from the ruined buildings to the strange murals.
It was then that the giant lava lake started to stir as waves crashed into the rocky shores. To Shinko's amazement Orochi swam out of the lake as his body bled profusely, somehow manging to stain the lava in a deep scarlet.
"No...I was supposed to be a God, so why...was I defeated so easily..." Orochi said in a heavily distorted voice as he painfully dragged himself to the altar, unaware of the young hero's presence. Once arrived at the altar, he moved a draconic tentacle to the mural before collapsing.
Shinko wasn't convinced of his death and so punched his body from a distance. The carcass exploded in a shower of gore and the attack's force seriously damaged a section of the wall in the opposite side.
This caused a powerful tremor to traverse the entire cavern as rubble fell from the ceiling and lava spilled from the cracks on the floor, burying a good part of the ruins forever.
However those weren't the only damages caused.
The tremor also affected the peculiar mural as the rocks above fell down, revealing a hidden part of it.
A huge humanoid being stood proud as it looked upwards, seemingly not minding the offerings done by those below.
Shinko was utterly speechless by the consequences of his attack and didn't lose any time making a plethora of photos of the newly "restored" mural.
"I hope these photos will calm down Child Emperor once he finds out about this place" Shinko said as he looked around while scratching his head "He won't be happy after he finds out that I probably damaged irreplaceable relics of history..."
He immediately went back to the hole he came from, somehow not noticing the mural present on the ceiling overlooking the lava lake.
It showed a gigantic being in a cross-legged position, its body seemingly humanoid, with six arms and what looked like a cilindrical head with a spiked crown on top and a hole where the face should be.
Its hands were making strange signs as the being was surrounded by a swirling vortex of stars and planets.
The being on the wall didn't seem so big in comparison as it looked at the greater one with a look of reverence.
X X X
Meanwhile, back in the makeshift arena where Darkshine and what Garou had become were fighting, the S class hero wasn't having a good time. In fact he would say that this was the worst battle in his life.
At first he thought he set his hopes too high as Garou merely attacked with brute force and little to no strategy, which made it quite easy for Darkshine to pummel the Hero Hunter with his fists. But no matter how hard the S class hero hit him, Garou was determined to not go down, something that instead made him hopeful for a chance to truly show off his skills.
Thus Darkshine decided to finish this foe for good with a powerful tackle, an attack that destroyed the surrounding area just as much as it destroyed Garou's bones.
He even tried to use the Water Flowing Rock Smashing Fist to deflect his attack, something that made Darkshine remember his spar with Silver Fang, before the Dark Matter Thieves attacked A City.
No matter what the bodybuilder did, the martial artist was able to deflect his attacks each time almost flawlessly. With that in mind, Darkshine thought that Garou was still far too green to truly harness Silver Fang's techniques.
However all of his assumptions were shattered the moment Garou got up.
What would've been a pleasant surprise instead turned into cold disbelief as the Hero Hunter dug himself out of the rubble and dealt a powerful kick into Darkshine's face with one single motion.
From there Garou fought with tactics in mind and even greater physical abilities, managing to deflect all of his attacks as he launching devastating counterattacks. Darkshine felt as if he was fighting an entire army of veteran martial artists.
He truly started to feel pressure as a punch from the Hero Hunter made his nose bleed, by far the most damage he was dealt to in years. Though this was a very minor injury and the rest of his body was virtually unharmed, the S class hero began to lose confidence in himself.
The "fight" went on for ten more minutes consisting of Garou unleashing an onslaught of attacks against which Darkshine could do next to nothing against it.
Eventually Garou performed an Explosion Release Fist in each hand against Darkshine's stomach, propelling his body through several walls, burying the S class hero in rubble. He would have pursued and continued attacking him, but a single step caught his attention. Once he saw who exactly was in front of him, all thoughts about Darkshine were purged. After all, even though the human known as "Garou" was now gone, the memory of his master still burned brightly.
Meanwhile Gaia timidly approached the pile of rock and debris underneath which was Darkshine.
'That was a powerful attack, will he be fine?' Gaia thought as her eyes glowed, showing an outline of Darkshine's body, along with his cardio-vascular system, nerves and other organs. Gaia saw that the S class hero was virtually unharmed, but she wanted to get a closer look and so began removing the rocks.
But only after removing one small rock the entire pile shook vigorously and crumbled, with Gaia tumbling on the ground.
"I...am nothing...more than a coward" Darkshine said with a dejected look, his gaze casted downward. His fight with the Hero Hunter made him understand that he never really looked forward to fighting a stronger opponent, or even an evenly matched one for that matter. He thought of hero work as just another stepping stone for him to flaunt his hard-earned strength.
Now his resolve was shattered and shame settled in his heart, a sight that made Gaia really sad.
'I have to do something about him, but I don't know how to cheer him up. Besides, even if he somehow gained his resolve back...I don't think he stands a chance against Garou' the small monster thought as she sifted through her brain to find an answer to the S class hero's problem.
And it was at that moment that an idea popped in her mind. A potentially dangerous idea.
'Ariol will definitely scold me when he finds out...but Darkshine desperately needs to stand up again, for himself and everyone else that depends on him!' Gaia thought with a resolute face as she decided to finally enact her plan, and for that she activated her newest power.
She really disliked remembering how she exactly got it, mainly because she couldn't recall the full memory...and what she COULD recall was filled with horrible pain.
It involved Homeless Emperor speaking about her being a "tool of GOD" or something like that and jabbed a finger into her skull to "at last awaken Her". Whatever came after was filled with so much pain that Gaia couldn't recall the memory without doubling over due to a skull-splitting headache.
But the strangest thing was that the abilities that Homeless Emperor so callously unlocked felt natural, as if she always had them.
For that purpose, she activated her Divine Sight. While her normal Sight, making her eyes glow green, allowed her to locate hidden living beings and survey their bodies for damage, this one was quite different.
Her red and blue eyes glowed their respective colors as the world around Gaia turned into a chaotic mesh of grey lines, while the body of Darkshine turned into an outline inside of which a large, immaculate sphere emitted a powerful glow.
'So he hasn't broken his limiter yet...and it seems that normally he never will. This is going to hurt, but he heeds all the strength he can!' Gaia thought as she crawled onto Darkshine's chest and placed her paws on his pectorals. She then unleashed her microscopic needles which pierced the S class hero's skin and muscles with no effort.
Meanwhile the figure that was Darkshine now noticed the little monster on top of him, seemingly unaware of the needles that pierced his unbreakable skin.
It was at this moment that Gaia activated her secret power.
Her horns grew in size and emitted a powerful glow as golden lines sprouted from her chest and traveled all the way to Darkshine's. From there the lines crawled throughout his body as he felt a chilling sensation, but that was only the start as they wormed deeper into his body, attacking his tissue and organs. It was at that moment that the lines' glow grew esponentially in intensity as Darkshine screamed in pain, as if his very body was torn apart and sewn together several times, a state shared by Gaia as well.
After a minute of ungodly pain, the glow faded away and the thin tendrils retracted back into Gaia's body. The two collapsed due to the sheer pain and exhaustion, but the fruits of their suffering were visible.
Darkshine's body was larger, more built and toned than ever before.
As through the Divine Sight of Gaia, one could see that the sphere holding his soul hostage showed several large cracks, from which streams of white light flowed out like a torrent.
X X X
As Ariol ran through the desolate halls of the deep part of the Monster Association's HQ, he was feeling an immense amount of joy as he felt the presence of Gaia getting closer and closer.
'No more obstacles in my way. Sister, I am coming to save you and then we're finally getting out of here' Ariol thought as his resolve hardened and quickened his pace.
After a minute he had finally arrived at Gaia's location, but he found a very unwelcome sight waiting for him. The huge body of an S class hero that he vaguely knew through Gaia years ago and the little fluffy body of his little sister on the human's abdomen. Both were unconscious and Ariol knew what had taken place.
As the area around them shook due to the fierceness of the fight nearby, the demon-level monster wordlessly took his little sister, tightly cradling her in his arms, and took off in a mad dash to the surface, wanting to get out of the Monster Association's HQ as quickly as possible and confident in his companions' ability to take care of themselves.
'Besides, with Sandscale Dragon with them I doubt there are going to be problems with the rescue mission' Ariol thought positively for the first time in what felt like an eternity to him, but his mind was still on his little sister's action towards the S class hero.
'Gaia, why did you break his bindings?' he mentally asked himself as he gave a puzzled look at his unconscious younger sibling, before shaking his head and continuing to focus on the task ahead 'No, now it doesn't matter. After all of this we'll get some rest and then we can calmly discuss it'
Ariol eventually found a promising series of interconnected tunnels and thus began ascending to freedom.
X X X
"Monoculor, my sensors communicate me that Ariol has found Gaia and is now heading to the surface, however he doesn't appear to be using the intended routes and is improvising as he goes" Malware communicated the information to the cyclop, who groaned in clear annoyance as Belphomet shuffled close to his brother to soothe him with his wings.
"Wait, hold on a sec, if your guy got his sister to safety, then we can focus our efforts in finding Flake Mage and the others! Come on, you promised!" Raptora said with urgency and Sharp Stripe silently agreed with her, wanting to make sure her dear friends were safe.
This further irritated Monoculor, as their group was already split into what was definitely the most dangerous place they got themselves into, but before he could retort Sandscale Dragon interjected "Come on Monoculor, we are still in good condition, besides Malware has all major threats under his radar" and jabbed a scaly thumb back at the physical program, who gave a brief flash of approval before returning to his scanning duties.
Then he suddenly spoke "Correct, all biological lifeforms and machines present in Z City are under my surveillance, along with all possible routes for movement. While it is true that unexpected and unforseen events could take place at any given time, we don't have to worry about any of such happenings now"
The knowing tone of the program coupled with his vagueness further frustrated not only Monoculor but also the rest of the team for different reasons, from unease at the state of their friends to being annoyed by suspense.
But soon that suspense was broken as a distant crash diverted their attention towards the way the group came from. Suddenly something came forth from the distant darkness, shrouded in a thick cloud of dust. The team was on edge by the unexpected appearance, but as the small cloud dispersed they felt different degrees of relaxation.
"Guys! I'm glad you're alright" Shinko said with a smile, but from a look into his eyes it was clear that his mind was somewhere else; meanwhile Flake Mage got down from the young hero's back and barrelled straight into Sharp Stripe, who enveloped him in a affectionately crushing hug. Raptora felt jealousy surging within her, but managed to keep it under control as she thought 'Calm down, you'll have all the time in the world to mend your relationship with Stripe. Besides, the small mage isn't that bad...'
Mizuki, who was standing beside Shinko, subtly noticed the she-monster's change in behavior but decided to keep quiet and keep observing her.
As the embrace of the two monsters came at a close Monoculor said to Flake Mage "Well, now that you're here I think it's finally time for us to leave this place behind for good" to which the ice mage replied "YES! We've done Sharp Stripe!" as he embraced her again, but after a few seconds his movement abruptly stopped and his eyes widened as he remembered his other two teammates.
However, before Flake Mage could even say anything, Malware took the initiative and reassured the small monster "Don't worry about them, Maiko and Catfish Man have long left the Monster Association HQ and are most likely making their way to E City"
Flake Mage appeared convinced, but was still unsure about the clear fate of his friends. It took a good encouragement from Sharp Stripe and a retelling of Malware's abilities by Monoculor to fully convince the diminutive mage that Maiko and Catfish Man were actually safe.
With the matter finally settled the two groups parted ways.
Shinko and Mizuki began running forward once more with the knowledge given earlier by Flake Mage that they were nearing Garou's holding cell. The silence of the shorter hero caught Mizuki's attention.
"Shinko, how are you doing? You've been silent ever since you killed Orochi" the heroine said as she increased her pace so she could be closer to Shinko.
At first he didn't seem to have noticed the question, his empty gaze fixed far ahead while his body seemingly vibrated out of nowhere, but then he shook his head and turned to Mizuki as he asked "Sorry, did you say something?"
The heroine sighed and repeated her question, prompting Shinko to gasp and reveal what he was mulling over "Ah! There...was some murales that depicted strange but definitely strong beings. I have a feeling that past Garou there will be actually dangerous opponents, the likes of which even Saitama may not win against. Besides, I have a bad feeling about that Garou as well. I strongly think he won't turn out to be just a run-of-the-mill powerful monster like those Cadres or even Orochi, but something completely different"
Shinko shuddered as he felt that same horrible presence at the end of the hallway, but Mizuki seemed to be oblivious to it as she simply slapped his shoulder with vigor and said, with sympathy and annoyance in equal measure "Oh come on Shinko! You're one of the strongest humans of Earth and defeated some of the most fearsome monsters that ever existed! Just what do you have to fear-" but suddenly stopped as the two got within a certain distance from Garou's containment unit.
Mizuki's strong legs gave out as her body began shivering uncontrollably, her thick skin paled considerably and her eyes started getting duller by the second.
"MIZUKI!" Shinko shouted as he was beside the girl he loved in a millisecond and muttered "That presence was the first to ever make my stomach drop since end of my first year of training...but I didn't think it would have this kind of effect on you!"
He was getting more panicked by the second and so, in the heat of the moment, decided to hug Mizuki in a desperate attempt to make her feel safe. It ended up working as Shinko's body warmth and otherworldly presence managed to dispel the wickedness of the monster present at the end of the hallway.
"Mizuki, it seems you can't go ahead anymore. Rest here, I'll deal with this threat now" Shinko sweetly whispered in Mizuki's ear, causing her body to flush. The heroine quickly recollected herself, but made no effort to get out of the embrace.
Instead Mizuki said "Then go forth, I know you can do it. But first-" and interrupted herself as she gave Shinko a passionate kiss. He was surprised but a bright fire burning in his heart dispelled any hesitation he might have had, and so Shinko leaned in.
This passionate moment lasted for a few minutes, but to the two lovers it lasted for an eternity. Which made it all the more disappointing when they had to separate.
"...I have to go now" Shinko said simply as he slowly panted, his body still flushing and his eyes giving Mizuki a powerful yet tender look "I know that you can easily find your way out"
The heroine nodded with a smile and the young hero sped off into the distance. Mizuki simply stood up and began making her way back.
X X X
Meanwhile Silver Fang wasn't doing so well against his former disciple as his techniques and physical prowess met something able to greatly outmatch them.
He was now locked in an uphill struggle against a true monster, his Water Flowing Rock Smashing Fist against its Crossed Fang Dragon Slayer Fist, but the monster's sheer power and technique finally overwhelmed the old hero, who was sent crashing into a few walls.
He recovered surprisingly quick, but his thought were anything but hopeful 'Garou...this monster's strength is beyond anything Garou was capable of, but its technique doesn't seem to have grown as much...through intense focus and with Awakening Breath active I can hold it here, but if no other S class hero shows up to help...'
Silver Fang got back to his feet, his body shuddering with pain, and approached Garou who in the meantime assumed a fighting stance all too familiar to the martial artist.
Garou was about to use the Heart Explosion Release Fist, but Silver Fang anticipated such an event and came prepared, keeping his eyes on Garou's hands and positioning his own to counter the attacks.
The two charged each other and Silver Fang purposefully let the monster throw the first punch, only to quickly counteract it with his Water Flowing Rock Smashing Fist. This exchange lasted for five seconds as nearly all of Garou's attacks were sent back at it, yet the monster only needed to land a single punch.
And land a single punch it did as Silver Fang was launched into yet more walls, but the sheer force of the hit would not let the S class hero get up again.
Thus the monster that was once Garou was left with no opponents and prepared to go to the surface, but it suddenly stopped as he heard footsteps rapidly approaching.
Shinko burst from a hallway and upon seeing what Garou had become, immediately activated the Inner Storm. As soon as the oxygen flowed from his lungs to the rest of his body with force, Shinko felt his muscles tightening and his weight practically disappearing as he now wielded more power than he thought he had.
He wasted no time and rushed the monster with a series of punches at its head and stomach, however despite the small cracks on its armor-like body it was still able to use the Heart Explosion Release Fist on Shinko, who found himself having to time to block the series of attacks. Despite standing his ground the young hero felt pain, even more so than the time he fought Boros.
Deciding that blocking this monster's attacks was an exercise in futility, Shinko opted to attack with as much ferocity as possible in order to end the fight quickly. The monster must have gotten on his train of thoughts as well, switching to the Crossed Fang Dragon Slayer Fist.
This wasn't a battle, instead it resembled more a savage clash as the two combatants disregarded any kind of defensive technique or dodging maneuver in favor of pure offensive. Shinko's fists created small cracks and minuscule craters on the monster's body, but its vicious attacks were causing injury too as the young hero's body began to be covered in bruises, light at first yet darkening more and more as the fight progressed.
Despite Shinko's brutal offensive, the monster held on with unparalleled persistence as his own body already showed signs of damage.
'I can still fight, but so can that monster...guess I'll have to use my stronger attacks then!' Shinko thought with resolution and launched himself against the monster using a strategy. Fewer, yet more powerful blows both with his punches and kicks. The only challenge with this strategy was making the attacks as fast and less telegraphed as possible.
This Shinko first began with a strong punch to the gut, his arm practically disappearing for a few second as the monster slightly doubled over in pain. Black shards fell from his fist as the young hero retracted his hand and the monster's gut showed a shallow fist-sized crater. Proof that Shinko's strategy had some merit.
So he continued with a kick to its side, then a punch to its chest, then another kick to its abdomen, then a strong punch to its head and so on. Throughout the Onslaught of attacks Shinko was confused at the lack of reaction from Garou, especially because these attacks were actually doing damage to its body.
Then the confusion turned to surprise when the monster began its offensive, and Shinko's head was the first to feel it.
A hundred different punching styles into a single fist collided into the young hero's face with a force unlike anything he had ever felt. As the surrounding structure was pulverized he was immediately thrown back by a few meters, the sheer strength of the blow capable of giving Shinko a nasty bruise on his cheek.
The monster Garou had become lost the ability to communicate with the outside world and this technique was born out of the fusion between his near-infinite wealth of martial knowledge and its endless destructive drive. If a name could be given to such a technique...
...then it would be "God Slayer Fist".
Shinko again wasted no time rushing the monster with everything he had, but with its new technique the young hero soon found out that he was taking far more damage than he was receiving. Not only there were nasty purple bruises all over his body, but he was also starting to feel serious pain inside his body as well.
'This is bad!' Shinko thought with worry 'If this continues, then I'll be the one to lose! In that case, I'll have to use my most powerful techniques!'
Shinko then reared his fist back to recreate the attack he unleashed on that Ugmon. The monster must have caught on what he was doing and launched a salvo of God Slayer Fist on Shinko. Despite the damage and the pain, the young hero pressed on with the attack.
Despite being heavily telegraphed, the Fusion Punch was so fast the monster was incapable of avoiding it and any attempt at deflecting the blow were futile. The superheated attack connected into the most damaged part of the abdomen, widening the cracks and causing the rough equivalent of a nuclear explosion happen inside of the monster.
Not even a second passed and the expanse was bathed in excessive heat as the monster was fired through the planet, from the depths of Z City and into the ones of G City.
Shinko wasted no time racing through the crater and immediately found the monster hunched over in a dark clearing surrounded by destroyed machinery whose purpose Shinko didn't care about at the moment. His landing produced a metallic noise and immediately the monster was back on its feet.
This time the young hero decided to use a more cautious approach, keeping his distance while charging his Fusion Punch and then immediately closing in to attack the weakened abdomen. With each strike the surrounding area trembled and although the monster was still able to get some hits in, ultimately Shinko would be the victor of this fight.
The second Fusion Punch created a fist-sized hole in the monster's abdomen. The third caused the monster's insides to produce a weak yellow light. The fourth made that light stronger and caused wide cracks to appear on the monster's back.
The fifth Fusion punch was the finishing blow as a nuclear explosion blew apart the monster's insides and back, making it fall lifelessly on the shattered metallic floor.
Shinko raised his fist in victory and, feeling exhausted like never before, slowly made his way back.
X X X
Tornado of Terror sighed as the underground cave around her began to collapse. Psikotic was writhing in extreme pain on the ground, her fleshy grey body torn apart as pink liquid pooled under it and lightning crackled weakly around her.
'Hugh, is she still alive even after all that? Annoying' Tornado of Terror absentmindedly thought as she waved her hand one final time and her psychic power tore at the monster's mangled body, scattering her bloody remains and finally ending her life.
This also caused the insides of the cave to collapse at a faster rate, but the S class hero didn't mind as she quickly flew out of it. Yet, even with Psikotic's death, she was still annoyed at that monster.
'Speed almost comparable to Flashy Flash's, resilience and regeneration akin to those of Zombieman and to top it all psychic power among the highest I've ever seen. If anyone else would have encountered it, they would be dead' Tornado of Terror fumed as she flew around the depths of the Monster Association's HQ 'Just how did such a monster come to be anyway? Psikos was always into weird stuff like that, but did she really have the resources and knowledge to create such a monster? Or could it be that Petrolic Wraith I heard about in the Hero Association's records? Actually why the hell haven't the higher-ups sent me after it yet if it's so dangerous!?'
Tornado of Terror suddenly stopped as her search for Psikos' labs proved to be fruitless much to her frustration, and so she decided to go back to the surface. After all, there could be some monsters the other heroes may have missed.
And that was the end of the Raid Arc...and of the second part of the story!
Next up is going to be the third and final part of the story. Expect more heavy romance, insane power boosts and various character arcs!
But seriously, we're really reaching the end of this story (personally I don't think this is going to get more than 50 chapters nor I think it needs them).
With that, see you next time!